Yemen: Houthis strike Marib again, ten dead in two days

New attacks by Houthi rebels killed at least eight soldiers and two civilians on Friday in the oil-rich province of Marib, a day after an offensive that had already claimed the lives of 58 soldiers. The 2022 ceasefire, broken last month, appears to be definitively over.

Houthi rebels struck again on Friday, August 7, in Marib province, central Yemen. According to a military source who requested anonymity, more than ten missiles and seven suicide drones targeted military camps in an area in the south of the province, killing eight soldiers and wounding twelve. Two civilians were also killed in a separate attack, according to the health minister.

The previous day, the same rebels had carried out their deadliest attacks since the 2022 ceasefire: at least 58 soldiers were killed by missile and drone strikes, notably in Marib and the Hadramout region, near the Saudi border. The Houthis claimed responsibility for all of these attacks, stating they were acting in retaliation for the reinforcement of Yemeni troops backed by Riyadh.

Marib is a focal point for both military and economic interests. The province is divided between rebel-held areas and government-controlled territories, including the city of Marib itself and oil fields. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree accused the "Saudi enemy" on Friday of continuing to "mobilize its forces and push for escalation."

The Saudi-led military coalition, which intervened in 2015 to support the Yemeni government, responded firmly. A source close to the Saudi army warned that the coalition would not stand idly by, describing Marib as a "red line." While not seeking escalation, the source asserted that it would not allow the current balance of power on the ground to be altered.

The Houthis also struck Saudi Arabia on Thursday evening, wounding eleven people according to the coalition. This week, they also attacked oil tankers in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, as part of the blockade announced in July against the Saudi fleet.

This surge in violence comes after the collapse of the ceasefire agreed upon in 2022, which had held until last month. The resumption of the conflict, which dates back to 2014, is taking place against a backdrop of regional tensions stemming from the war between the United States and Iran. Yemen, the poorest country on the Arabian Peninsula, had already paid a heavy price in previous years: hundreds of thousands of deaths and a severe humanitarian crisis.